President suffers fractured ankle

The Argentine president's doctors say Cristina Fernandez has suffered a fracture in her left ankle.

Doctors Marcelo Ballesteros and Daniel Fernandez said in a statement they signed last Friday that they have recommended that the ankle be immobilised. The doctors did not say what kind of blow caused the fracture.

The 61-year-old leader has been sidelined with various ailments in recent months. In November, Fernandez was hospitalised for several days for inflammation of the colon. She was obliged to suspend her presidential activities for 48 hours in October due to a sore throat.

In January, the president was treated for hip pain and sciatica, and in July she missed Independence Day celebrations to continue recovering from an acute throat infection. Last year, she underwent head surgery to remove a blood clot.